Colin F Harper

Beyond Shopper Marketing Colin F Harper

After years of simply advertising to consumers, research showed the existence of an entirely new type of "super consumer". These very important people could be targeted by entirely different media. It appeared they actually took the purchase decisions for many more people based on very different motivations. The researchers called these very important consumers "shoppers". Reaching and influencing them became known as shopper marketing. Some time later, further research showed these shoppers were seriously hampered by retailer supply chain delivering only average space and demand management across the country. Like minded shoppers clustered together, and the stores they shopped in needed more space, and speedier replenishment for local tastes and preferences. Store staff across the country struggled to keep these spaces filled, and shoppers happy. Typical targeted Marketing investment actually made this position worse, increasing demand leading to increased local out of stock and unhappy shoppers. Beyond Shopper Marketing builds a playbook for a vital 3-way team between, sales, marketing and supply chain. Brands and retailers needing profitable growth have to understand the importance of moving forward on these three fronts together in zynergy. Critically this must cross the traditional boundary between sales and marketing. Budgets that often work quite independently (and often at cross-purposes) can easily be many times more effective simply by being placed in the context of a single new objective. You don't need more money you just need the budget you currently spend to work together better. "In life, as in football, you won't go far unless you know where the goalposts are" - Arnold Glasgow